


The Pond

by eggiestbaby



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Gen, i guess shes basically my cassidy, sammy is basically the one you shouldnt have killed from ucn, you kind of need to know my au to understand this sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 22:54:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30096375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eggiestbaby/pseuds/eggiestbaby
Summary: A lost spirit meets Old Man Consequences, and learns to let go of her pain.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	The Pond

She awoke, the slow and unsure kind of wake where one cannot be certain whether they are still dreaming or not. The sound of waves filled her ears, barely there at first, but more and more present as she slowly came to her senses. Her fingertips felt warm, an unfamiliar feeling for her, from what she soon came to realize was water. Or, at least what she thought was water. Was water always red? And so warm? She couldn't remember.

She retrieved her hand from the gentle waves, instantly missing the warmth as her body returned to its usual state of cold numbness. Pushing herself up from the ground to sit, she looked around groggily. She had been laying on the shore of a pond. Or was it a lake? The ocean? She couldn't tell.

**"Ah, you're awake."**

She flinched, turning to look behind her, to the source of the voice, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of her surroundings. A person, no, a creature, sat on an old-looking wooden bench not too far from her. The creature was large, and as red as the water itself, if not more so. It wore a long raincoat, (its face hidden by the brim of a matching comically oversized hat) and held a fishing rod lazily in its hands. There was something about it, not quite human nor animal, as if the line between the two had become blurred somehow. Its voice sounded strangely familiar.

"Where am I?" She asked it, her voice quiet and rough as if it had not been used for a very long time. Which it hadn't.

**"The pond."** It replied nonchalantly, as if the answer were obvious.

"Who are you." She said to the creature, more of a command than a question.

**"My name is Old Man Consequences."** It answered, nevertheless.

She stayed silent for a while, expecting it to elaborate further. It didn’t. She glanced down at her hands in her lap, frowning. They looked normal, yet also strange. Unfamiliar, even though she knew for sure that they were hers. She took a deep breath, and lifted her head to face the creature again.

"Who am I?"

The creature moved, for the first time since their meeting, tilting its head slightly. The brim of its hat lifted just barely, exposing its large mouth (snout?). It smiled at her with a set of very sharp-looking teeth.

**"You are who you have always been, and you are who you will always be."**

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

**"One shouldn't expect to understand everything in the world. That would be dreadfully boring."**

The creature moved again, shifting its body over a few inches before patting the bench beside it with a hand. Or was it a paw? Regardless, the sharpness of its claws was a bit intimidating.

**"Come have a seat, and let's fish for a while."** It looked away from her, and cast out the line of its fishing rod, pausing for a moment as the bobber hit the water with a satisfying _plunk_. **"You have nothing else to do."**

She felt oddly compelled to heed to the creature's request. It was right, after all. She didn't know where she was or who she was; she quite literally had nothing else to do. She stood, wobbling a bit as her legs recovered from the long period of inactivity. Silently, she walked over and sat beside the creature, the old wood of the bench creaking under her weight. There was a good foot or so of distance between them, but she could still feel its presence. The creature seemed to radiate some kind of energy. It felt warm, and electric, familiar, but also unfamiliar at the same time. It gave her goosebumps.

The two then simply sat for a while, soaking up the silence, the only interruption being the occasional sound of the creature adjusting it’s fishing rod. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on top of them, gazing out over the pond. The water was in a constant state of movement, little waves and ripples dancing across the surface in no particular pattern. It was beautiful, she thought, in a strange, entrancing kind of way. She thought she should feel scared, or even angry at her situation. What little she remembered of herself seemed to be tainted by those emotions, as if they were her whole identity. But now, she felt nothing of the sort. She felt empty. Maybe even calm.

**“Tell me, young one.”** The creature spoke suddenly, pulling her from her trance and back into the present moment. **“Who do you think that you are?”**

“I-” She was caught off guard by the question. It was such a simple thing, really. She should have been able to answer it right away. But she couldn't, and had no idea why that was the case. She hated it. It made her feel small, and helpless.

_“I don’t know."_ She whispered.

The creature said nothing further, simply turning its attention back to the lake. And the silence that was calming before, now felt deafening.

——————— ❖ ———————

_"Miss Emily! Miss Emily!!!"_

_Sammy turned her attention to the young boy tugging furiously at her skirt, who was practically bursting with excitement. She smiled fondly, crouching down to his level._

_"Hello there, Adrian. Having fun?"_

_"Yes!!!! Oh Miss Emily you have to follow me right now!!!"_

_Sammy chuckled as the boy resumed his tugging, absolutely determined to get her to move. "Why should I?" She teased._

_Adrian furrowed his brows at her, releasing his hold on her skirt to dramatically cross his arms. "I can't tell you because it's a surprise!"_

_"A surprise, you say? Well now I absolutely have to come along." She stood up, and the boy immediately lit up again, bouncing excitedly._

_"Okay! You have to promise not to tell anyone else, though." He reached up to grab her hand, and began pulling her away from the party room, into the hall. "The bunny said it's a secret only for little kids, but I'm telling you because you're fun and like surprises."_

_"Oh?" Her smile faltered slightly. "Bonnie told that to you?"_

_"No not Bonnie! The new bunny."_

_"New bunny? What new bunny?" Sammy stopped walking, causing Adrian to turn around and give her a funny look._

_"The yellow one, duh! I thought your papa made Freddy and everyone else? You should know these things, silly." The young boy quickly lost his patience, and took off again, disappearing down the hall._

_A yellow bunny? Well that didn't sound right at all. Surely she would have noticed her father working on a new animatronic? Her father couldn't have started using the old suits again, could he? He had been very adamant that they were too dangerous and best left discontinued. She frowned, worry and confusion building up in her chest._

_"Adrian, wait up!" Sammy began jogging down the hall in an effort to catch up with the boy. "Are you absolutely sure that you saw a yellow bunny? We haven't had a yellow bunny since……"_

_She trailed off as she turned the corner, and was met with a dead end. A closed door labeled 'parts and service' stood in front of her. Guests weren't allowed in this room, normally she wasn't even allowed in this room. Something felt wrong here. This didn't make sense. Sammy placed her hand on the doorknob, and was hit with a wave of dread. Suddenly she felt very cold, and swore she could feel the energy around her abruptly shift. It was as if the building itself was holding its breath, waiting for her next move. She shivered as goosebumps pricked at her skin. It was like every inch of her body was screaming at her to run. To not open the door no matter what._

_She hesitated. Should she go get help? Go find her father and bring him here? Surely she was just being ridiculous. There was probably a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. She would open the door and Adrian would jump out and yell 'boo!' or something like that. He always did like to play tricks on people. Or maybe he had just mistaken Bonnie for something else? Yeah, that was probably it. But none of that explained this feeling she was getting._

_She shook her head. No, she was being silly. There was nothing to be afraid of. Swallowing her anxiety, Sammy slowly opened the door, and peered inside the dark room._

_And then……_

——————— ❖ ———————

She woke up abruptly this time, gasping as she jolted upright. She felt absolutely terrified, her breathing quick and erratic. All she could hear was the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears. She looked around in a panic, taking in her surroundings. She was at a pond? Oh, that's right. She had been at a pond before, with a creature. She forced herself to take deep breaths, trying to calm down. When had she fallen asleep…?

The events of her dream came flooding back to her. Had it even been a dream? Or was it a memory? She groaned and placed her head in her hands, feeling very dizzy all of a sudden. Her mind felt like a shattered window, the glass fragments of her memories scattered about, desperately trying to find their match. To become whole again. Her thoughts were loud, so very loud. Too loud.

She felt a warm, heavy hand on her shoulder, and instantly everything fell into place. She relaxed, leaning into the touch with a sigh. She felt calm again.

**"Nightmare?"** The creature asked as it helped her stand, guiding her back to the wooden bench. When had she moved to the floor…?

"No. Maybe? I'm not sure. I think I'm starting to remember…" She felt fatigued, very much grateful for the old bench, as creaky and uncomfortable as it was. The creature sat beside her, closer this time, and she leaned into its side, resting her head on its large shoulder. It was warm and comforting, and felt somehow familiar. Her heart ached. Why was it so familiar?

A word came to her suddenly, like a fish pulled from the deep, dark ocean that was her mind. Her eyes widened, and she gasped, sitting up straight.

"Sammy." She said, turning to look at the creature. It tilted its head, a silent cue for her to continue. "My name is Sammy. Sammy Emily."

The creature smiled. **"It is nice to finally meet you, Sammy."**

"Sammy." She repeated, grinning widely. "I'm Sammy." She felt giddy, powerless to stop the laughter now bubbling out of her. "My name is Sammy!" Finally! Finally she had a name! That was her name!

Her laughter died down as another word came to her. Or maybe it was more of a memory. A feeling. She furrowed her brows, her happiness slipping away as she fell back into the sea of cold numbness.

"I'm dead, aren't I." She said quietly, another non-question.

For the first time since their meeting, the creature hesitated, and at that moment she already knew the answer. She waited for it to respond anyway.

**"Yes."** It finally spoke. Was that a hint of sadness in its voice?

"Okay." She said blankly, staring back out over the water again. The revelation didn't instill any emotion in her. She felt that it wasn't a new thing to realize. That it had been that way for a long time, and she had only needed to be reminded of it.

"Are you?" She asked after a minute or so of silence.

**"A thing cannot die if it has never been alive to begin with."** It responded in its usual cryptic, non-answering way. She understood perfectly what it meant.

They sat in silence again. It wasn't calming this time, nor overwhelming. It was heavy, and thick. Yet somehow empty all the same. Neither of the two seemed bold enough to break it. Not yet, at least. Sammy breathed in deeply, gazing up at the sky. She had thought it was its normal blue at first, and hadn't paid much attention to it. But now, she could see that it was a pale pink. There were no clouds that she could see, and the sun lay high, directly above them. She noted that it hadn't moved an inch since she had first woken up there. Surely it had been a few hours since then?

Sighing, she let her head fall to rest on the back of the bench and closed her eyes. It wasn't comfortable, but she didn't care. Her memory was coming back to her slowly. Piece by piece, everything was falling back into place. She didn't know if she preferred it to not remembering at all. Images of pain, anger, loneliness and sorrow flashed in her head. She thought she should feel upset about it, but she just felt tired. So very tired.

"I know why you are so familiar to me." The words spilled out of her mouth before she could really think about them. "I didn't understand why before, but I know now."

The creature hummed in response, letting her know that it was listening. Her cue to continue.

Sammy hesitated for a moment, debating whether she should keep her revelation to herself or not. Keep it safe in her heart, only for her to have. She decided against it.

"You remind me of my dad." She said, melancholy sneaking it's way into her voice.

The creature laughed then, which was very much not what she expected. She sat up to look at it quizzically, a smile tugging at her lips. It was a very nice sound, after all, hearing someone laugh. It made her feel nostalgic.

**"I can see why that would be the case."** The creature said, and now it was her turn to tilt her head to the side, silently asking for elaboration. The creature smiled, and something about it seemed much more genuine than before. **"Your father created me, after all."**

_"Oh."_ She whispered, her smile widening. "That makes sense."

**"He cares for you very much, you know."** The creature draped its arm over her shoulders, bringing her closer. The warm, comforting weight of it seemed to instantly drive away all of her sorrows, and she melted into the embrace, sighing contently. **"I can feel it."** The creature continued. **"He is a part of me."**

"I remember what happened to me now." Sammy said quickly, as if, if she didn't say it now, she would never get the chance again. "All of it."

**"And is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"** It questioned.

"Both. Or maybe neither." She sighed, pressing her face further into the creature's side. "There's so much. I just want it to be over. I don't want to be angry anymore."

**"You don't have to be. Your story is over now. You've done all there is to do."**

She took a shaky breath, a wave of emotion hitting her. She decided to let herself feel it, and did nothing to stop the thick tears from escaping her eyes and trailing down her cheeks. The creature said nothing, only offering its comfort if she so chose to accept it. She did, burrowing her face into its chest and throwing her arms around it. The creature gently stroked her hair, the action more of an instinct than a conscious decision. It was appreciated, nonetheless. It felt good to cry, sometimes. Before, she would cry from anger, from pain, from sorrow. But now, she cried from relief, and for the uncertainty of the future.

She sobbed for a good while, eventually calming down to an occasional whimper or sniffle. She had a silly thought, looking down at the creature's raincoat, where she was grateful for its waterproof material. But something told her that the creature would not mind if she had ruined it, and that it would not matter even if it did.

With one final sniff, and a wipe of her eyes, she removed herself from the creature, settling back into her spot on the bench. The water of the pond still moved in its mysterious way, and she silently wondered what it would be like to jump in and swim as far down as her breath would take her. She pushed the thought from her mind. Something told her that the pond was not meant for her, and never would be.

"What do I do now?" She spoke up, her voice still a bit shaky from crying.

**"Rest."** The creature said. **"Leave the demon to his demons, and rest your own soul."**

"I'm scared." She admitted. "I don't want to disappear."

**"Your will is stronger than you know."**

The creature stood up and turned, holding its hand out to her. She took it, and it pulled her up effortlessly. It placed its hands on her shoulders, and despite its hidden face, she could feel its stare on her. It stared intently, as if directly into her soul, (which she would not be surprised if that were the case) and smiled at her once again. Perhaps for the last time.

**"Go, and rest. I will look after the pond."**

The creature released its grip on her shoulders, and turned away from her to retrieve its, until now, long forgotten fishing rod. The creature rested the rod on its shoulder casually, as if it were any other normal day, and it were any other normal fisherman. It then turned its head to look at her one last time, and to say one last thing.

**"Many people have been waiting an awful long time to see you."**

With that, she let go, allowing herself to be pulled into the light. And in that moment, she finally felt peace.

**Author's Note:**

> The people that OMC says are waiting to see her are Charlie and Henry! (Along with all the other people that have passed on but those two are the most important.) I don't have a concrete way to explain how the afterlife works or what it looks like, but it exists, and they are there. Most of the spirits found peace by the end of FFPS, but Sammy wasn't quite content to disappear yet. She wanted revenge on William for tearing her family apart. 
> 
> OMC was originally an AI created by Henry, but he kind of turned into a guide for spirits that are trapped within animatronics. He's like the anti Glitchtrap.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Sorry if things are hard to understand. The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma. It takes a lot to turn my incoherent thoughts into something actually readable.


End file.
